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The inscription Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations and the date 31 January 2020: this British 50p marks the day the United Kingdom left the European Union, ending 47 years of membership.
The reverse has no image, only lettering by the Royal Mint Engraving Team. The phrase goes back to Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural address of 1801, which spoke of peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations. The writer Philip Pullman criticised the inscription for its missing Oxford comma, and the coin’s punctuation became a story in its own right in the press. The obverse carries the fifth portrait of Elizabeth II by Jody Clark and the Latin legend ELIZABETH II D G REG F D: «Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith».
The coin’s road to circulation was not straightforward: the first version was prepared for 31 October 2019, but the UK’s departure was postponed and those coins never entered circulation. On 26 January 2020 Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid unveiled the new coin. Around 3 million coins reached banks, Post Offices and shops from 31 January, with a further 7 million later; in all, 10 million of these coins entered circulation in 2020. Interest was considerable: more than 13,000 people pre-registered for the collector versions.
For collectors, the Royal Mint also issued gold versions, such as a double-thickness gold piedfort limited to 1,000 pieces, and it opened its doors for 24 hours so that visitors could strike a commemorative coin themselves. The circulating version documents one of the key political events in the country’s recent history and belongs naturally in a collection of British commemorative 50p pieces and in a set of coins marking the turning points of the twenty-first century.
Uncirculated (UNC) condition: the coin has never been in circulation, the inscription and portrait are untouched by wear and the mint lustre is intact; minor marks from storage in bank bags are acceptable.
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